This invention relates generally to aircraft cockpit displays and more particularly, to methods and systems for displaying terrain maps on aircraft cockpit displays.
At least some known aircraft include cockpit displays use charts that aid in navigation and situational awareness during flight and during flight planning. Charts typically are used for a wide variety of aspects of flight and flight planning and therefore may include data that is not needed for a particular current flight segment or task, but is included for periods when the chart is used for a different task. For example, terrain depictions on a cockpit display add information that may not improve situational awareness during particular aspects of a flight or flight planning. Terrain depictions may tend to reduce features of chart symbols when the chart symbol is overlaid onto a terrain depiction. Information that is displayed but not needed for the current operation tends to create information overload in the charting environment. Excessive information that is not important to the current operation tends to generate confusion in the flight crew.